Connected, Respected and Contributing to Their World: The Case of Sexual Minority and Non-Minority Young People in Ireland

Abstract

Outcome 5 of the Irish Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures national youth policy framework (“Connected, respected, and contributing to their world”) offers a suitable way to study psychosocial determinants of adolescent health. The present study (1) provides nationally representative data on how 15- to 17-year-olds score on these indicators; (2) compares sexual minority (same- and both-gender attracted youth) with their non-minority peers. We analyzed data from 3354 young people (aged 15.78 ± 0.78 years) participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Ireland. Age and social class were associated with the indicators only to a small extent, but girls were more likely than boys to report discrimination based on gender and age. Frequency of positive answers ranged from 67% (feeling comfortable with friends) to 12% (being involved in volunteer work). Sexual minority youth were more likely to feel discriminated based on sexual orientation, age, and gender. Both-gender attracted youth were less likely than the other groups to report positive outcomes. Same-gender attracted youth were twice as likely as non-minority youth to volunteer. The results indicate the importance of a comprehensive approach to psycho-social factors in youth health, and the need for inclusivity of sexual minority (especially bisexual) youth.

Protective Factors for LGBTI+ Youth Wellbeing: A Scoping Review Underpinned by Recognition Theory

“…While 25 countries met context inclusion criteria [ 37 ], only the United States ( n = 79), Canada ( n = 11), Australia ( n = 4), Britain ( n = 3) and New Zealand ( n = 2) were represented. This is consistent with a recent landscape review and research gap analysis identifying the paucity of research, across Europe, of any persuasion, focused on LGBTI+ youth [ 50 ]. From the searches, we reviewed quantitative ( n = 45), qualitative ( n = 34) and mixed-methods research ( n = 8) studies, with sample sizes ranging from n = 5 through to n = 4314.…”

Perceived Discrimination Among Adolescents in Ireland

“…Adolescents belonging to minority groups are more likely than their matches to be discriminated on the basis of their minority status, as well as on other grounds. This may reflect a “negative halo” or “horn effect,” where a person who has a characteristic seen as undesirable, is attributed with other negative features (see Költő et al, 2021).…”

“…Participants were asked which gender partners they were attracted to, with response options “Girls,” “Boys,” “Both girls and boys,” or “I am not attracted yet to anyone.” Girls attracted to girls, boys attracted to boys, and participants attracted to both-gender partners were categorized as sexual minority . This classification is routinely used in the HBSC network (e.g., Költő et al, 2021). Those who reported having a long-term illness, disability, or a medical condition diagnosed by a doctor were categorized as having a disability or chronic condition .…”

“…Participants who reported being a member of the Traveller community (an Indigenous ethnic minority in Ireland with distinctive cultural and nomadic practices) were categorized as such. These items are also routinely used in HBSC (Költő et al, 2020(Költő et al, , 2021.…”